2005-06: Selected to the Big Sky Conference All-Academic team. Was selected as the team's defensive player of the year. In league games only, Penoncello ranked seventh in the Big Sky in three-point percentage (.444) and 11th in treys made per game (1.43). He made the first start of his career at Brigham Young (12/27/05), then took over full-time as a starter at Portland State (1/14/06). In back-to-back games against Sacramento State (2/2/06) and Northern Arizona (2/4/06), Penoncello helped lead Eastern to a pair of home victories. He had a season-high 18 against Sac State when he made 4-of-5 three-pointers and then followed that with 12 points and a season-high six rebounds against NAU. He finished his freshman year with nine games scoring in double figures, including six of Eastern's last 10 games. He closed the year in the Big Sky Conference Tournament against Montana (3/7/06) with 12 points, four assists and a pair of steals. Four of his double-figure scoring performances came versus NAU and Sac State. In four games now against those two foes, Penoncello is averaging 13.0 points, 3.5 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game, while making 63 percent of his shots overall and 67 percent from three-point range (10-of-15).
2004-05: Redshirted.
High School: Graduated from Moscow High School in 2004. He helped lead Moscow to the State 4A Tournament, where the Bears won once and lost twice. He had 11 points, seven rebounds and six assists in a losing effort as the North fell to the South 109-104 in the Idaho All-State Game. As a junior, Penoncello was selected to The Spokesman-Review All-North Idaho team as a junior when he helped the Bears capture the 4A regional title in the state of Idaho. He averaged 14.6 points per game to rank third in the Inland Empire League. He had a 3.4 grade point average in high school.
Personal: Born Oct. 10, 1985. Business administration major. He is the son of Steve and Jean Penoncello. He has one brother (Nick, 22) and two sisters (Gina, 24; and Stacey, 18). Last name is pronounced "Pen-en-chell-oh." Nickname is "Pen."